Day 1
Hangzhou - Xihu (West Lake) - Lei Feng Pagoda - Zhongshan Road
Day 2
Shanghai - Pudong - Huangpu - The Bund - French Concession - Tian Zi Fang
Day 3
Yu Garden - Nan Luo Gu Xiang
Day 4
Beijing - Tian An Men - Beihai Park
Day 5
Great Wall of China - Wang Fu Jing St
Day 6
Summer Palace
We finally took the train from Shanghai towards Beijing and our first stop after a night's rest is Tian An Men square. Just a bit of history about this place you often see on TV, magazines and what nought. This 100-odd acres square is most notably remembered for the protest in 1989. The square is named after Tian An Men gate, which is loosely translated as the Gate of the Heavenly Peace, separating itself from the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty.
We were there during a time of massive maintenance work as many halls were closed and you could see the workers doing the different types of refurbishment works at the square.
This picture was taken at the Meridian Gate 午门 where we bought our tickets. There were many tour domestic tour groups and to my surprise, there were many elderly folks among them. It feels as though they were making a pilgrimage trip to this place. This gate was previously the entrance to the Forbidden City. This is also the gate where the emperor will pass by whenever he is back from a war or to offer sacrifices to the gods and ancestors. If you're a history buff, do read up on the various boards put up to explain the significance of each gate, chambers and halls.
A huge oriental lion on both sides of the square to guard the place.
If you're a great fan of Chinese history, the Imperial Palace more famously known as the Forbidden City is actually where the emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties reside during their reign. It is also the largest and most complete palace complexes that China has preserved in modern history. In 1987, this place is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
At the start of your long walk around the palace complex, you would observe all these paintings which have been touched-up. You would also notice that there are netting fixed at the ceiling at some areas.
The reason is because the ceiling is beginning to wear out over time. But I am still in awe as to how the ancient people managed to build such massive complex with meticulous and intricate architecture and workmanship.
The first hall that greeted us is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, (Tai He Dian). It was under renovation so no one could enter to visit. This is the main hall on the outer courts of the Forbidden City. According to the information on the board, this hall has been rebuild numerous times after a number of fire accidents caused by lightnings. And this current standing one is almost 320 years old!
The walkway towards Tai He Dian was also under renovation. I believe with the influx of domestic and international tourists to this place have caused a lot of wear and tear effect. Therefore, to maintain the status as a World Heritage Site, it is imperative that the government puts in more effort in maintaining such sites.
Roof repair was also ongoing during my visit. Similar to Hong Kong, the scaffolding in China is also made of bamboo. You could see that the halls are at least 4 storeys high and given the number of chambers and halls built in the past, these maintenance works can take a long time.
This would be a familiar sight for many who have watched ancient dramas from either Hong Kong or China which depicts the reign of the various emperors. You could just imagine the officials coming before the emperors to report on the various issues happening in the state.
To guard against vandalism and terrorism at such historical sites, technologies have also been engaged with surveillance cameras being a common sight. This is also one of the refurbished ceilings. You could tell the difference because it looks so much newer compared to those that have worn out after decades.
One of the many corridors in the outer court of the palace complex. Can you imagine the 宫女 and eunuchs walking by your side as you stroll along this place?
These are taken for me to remember how this place would have looked like if not for the maintenance done. Sure, the maintenance may not have make it look real as this place should look like the picture above but if it's not done, one can never see how majestic it is for the emperor to live in such a huge complex.
This is another of the well-maintained pavilion on site. Forbidden City is also the house to many beautiful stone carvings and sculptures which you can find around the complex. The luxury and the sheer size of the place is really unfathomable. It is of little wonder how the phrase, 打进冷宫 (thrown into cold palace) comes about. The complex is so huge, the emperor wouldn't have visited the cold palace if it's at the other end of the main courts.
While we have post office in the modern era, in the past there was a thing called the Royal Telephone Office. Mind you, this is the only Royal Telephone Office in China and it is at least 100 years old!
One of the many halls also shows the exhibits of the items used for a royal wedding. They even have the empress wear as part of the exhibit and boy, does it look heavy?
I'll leave you with an internal view of one of the pavilion ceilings. Just look at how intricate the handiwork is. It's amazing how they could draw and carve so well in the past without the help of any machineries.
If you've a chance to visit, do pay a visit to this place while you can still walk! Also, the Mao Ze Dong Mausoleum is just opposite Tian An Men square. If you've spare time and it's still open, you could visit to see the remains of the late Mao Ze Dong.
No comments:
Post a Comment